Click here to view Game 1 boxscore
Click here to view Game 2 boxscore
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -- The Rock dropped both ends of Monday afternoon's Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division doubleheader vs. California U. of Pa.
The 6-4, 9-4 losses snapped a four-game win streak by the Green and White and dropped their overall record to 18-12 and their PSAC-West mark to 2-10.
California is now 19-9 overall, 8-4 in division play.
The Rock will look to start another win streak Tuesday when it travels to Mercyhurst for a 3 p.m. twinbill, which will be the second of five doubleheaders The Rock has scheduled in the span of seven days.
SRU never led in Game 1 of Monday's twinbill as California scored one run in the top of the first inning and added two tallies in the third to take a 3-0 lead before The Rock got a run back in the bottom of the third.
California came right back to score two times in the top of the fourth to extend its lead to 5-1, only to have SRU plate three runs in the bottom of the sixth to trim the margin to one, 5-4. The guests then got an insurance run in the top of the seventh.
Stacey Rhoades singled home The Rock's first run of the game.
A fielder's choice groundout by
Jessica Ellebruch in the bottom of the sixth produced SRU's second run before
Lisa Getgen and
Nikki Collins each had an RBI single to plate the final two Rock runs.
Seven different players had a single each to account for SRU's first-game hitting attack.
Rhoades (6-3) pitched a complete game for SRU and allowed six earned runs on 13 hits, struck out three and walked two.
SRU manufactured a run in the bottom of the first inning of Game 2 to take an early lead before California scored four times in the top of the third.
The hosts came right back with two runs in the bottom of the third to trim the margin to one, 4-3, before California scored three times in the top of the sixth to make it a 7-3 game. The Vulcans then answered a lone Rock run in the bottom of the sixth with two tallies in the top of the seventh to set the final margin.
The Rock's first run of the game was produced by a hit batsman, a stolen base, a ground out and a successful first-and-third double steal.
Ellebruch smacked a two-out, two-run home run to left field in the third inning and Rhoades clobbered a solo shot to left center with one out in the fifth to account for the final three Rock runs.
The home runs accounted for half of SRU's hits in the game.
Getgen (7-5) was tagged with the Game 2 loss after she allowed seven runs (four earned) on eight hits, struck out two and walked two in five innings.
Sheree Horvath allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and struck out one in the final two innings.
